We arrived in Ushuaia early this morning. I had my last breakfast with the Texas/Georgia group (Fred, Bill, Rich & Dawn). I sure had a fantastic time hanging out with them. Fred especially made me laugh; supported me when hiking uphill; helped me with my camera; and generally added joy to each day. But, alas, we had to say goodbye this morning.
You can see the size of the MS FRAM compared to the larger ships in port.
We had 4 hours in Ushuaia this morning. The guide recommended a good coffee/tea shop with wi-fi. So most of us went to Ramos Generales.
I got a good laugh when I saw the way they designated women’s and men’s bathroom.
I went to one of the museums in town which depicted the life of the indigenous people in this area from the late 1800s. I read:
- How they made their huts and built their canoes (and built fires in the canoes to stay warm)
- Shared what ever food they caught with anybody nearby
- When they went out in the canoes, only the women knew how to swim.
- The missionaries came to the area in the early 1900s.
- Diseases and other factors really wiped out the indigenous people.
The Ushuaia airport had the longest lines through security that I have ever seen. We had to go up a narrow staircase and it seemed to take forever. We arrived at our gate right in time to board.
I was surprised how much the landscape in el Calafate is like desert . Ann, Pat and I went out for a walk along part of Lake Argentino. All we had to do was walk across the road from Las Dunas Hotel where we are staying.
The water is a beautiful blue color. It must be a glacier fed lake.
Ann, Pat, and I had a great trout dinner with Carl, Rita, and John in the hotel restaurant. I am sure glad that we can share dinners. It was easy on the ship to just take what I wanted. The restaurant meals are too big for one person.
Right in the middle of dinner I went outside to take a photo of the sunset over Lake Argentina.
Ann, Pat, and I went back to our triple room. We could see what I was told is Solitaire Island with the mountain peaks in the background from our room. We will be in a triple for the rest of the trip.
